Greater ambition vital to solve transport chaos says councillor

York's long-standing congestion problems have been one of the biggest challenges facing transport chiefs and planners but potential solutions have been left in tatters by spending cuts.

Now however, one of York Council's leading councillors has made an impassioned plea for a far broader approach in the hope of attracting new investment and introducing a series of more radical transport schemes.

Councillor Christian Vassie, the council's energy champion, claimed one of the region's biggest development sites, the 1bn York Central project, should be used as the foundation for new transport schemes.

While he conceded local authorities are faced with immense challenges to make millions of pounds in savings in the wake of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, he maintained the financial pressures should not obstruct a long-term vision.

Coun Vassie said: "Some of the most forward-thinking and progressive businesses were at their busiest in the middle of the recession, as they were looking to solve problems instead of letting them become a barrier to move forward.

"Local government does have a problem with not being ambitious enough, as many councillors and council officers do not have experience in the private sector," he added.

"But we need to look forward and consider more radical approaches if we are to solve the transport issues which York is facing."

The York Central scheme became a high-profile casualty of the recession in the autumn of last year when the search for a developer was halted.

It had been hoped that as many as 9,000 jobs could have been created during the next 20 years under the development, which covers about 85 acres of land around York's railway station.

The project had been due to run in tandem with construction on a nearby site that has been vacant since British Sugar's factory closed with the loss of more than 100 jobs. |

Together, the two sites cover about 185 acres.

Plans for a task force of experts to draw up a blueprint for the development were announced in March, but Coun Vassie is still convinced that not enough is being done to ensure the scheme becomes a reality.

He said the Government's proposals to allow councils to borrow against projected business rate incomes could help secure finance for the York Central development to progress.

He claimed that too much emphasis is being placed on park and ride schemes on the outskirts of the city, and maintained the council needs to look at other modes of transport such as tram lines or monorails.

He pointed to successes in Europe where local authorities have pooled their resources to purchase trams for massive discounts.

The French cities of Dijon and Brest joined forces to buy 52 trams for more than 100m euros – a third less than if they had pursued separate contracts.

However, the council's executive member for city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, who is responsible for overseeing transport policies, stressed the Government had discounted the possibility of a tram network for the Leeds City Region, which includes York.

He also maintained that while plans for three park and ride sites on the outskirts of York had been shelved, funding could be allocated from the Government in 2012/13.

Coun Galloway added: "Any new schemes which are proposed will go to the bottom of a very long list of projects awaiting funding from the Government.

"We are very aware that we need an efficient and quick transport system for the city to prosper. That is the Holy Grail not just for York Council, but for all councils."